The present invention relates to the handles on hand file boards of the type adapted to support sheets of abrasive material and used in the repair of body damage on vehicles.
Hand file boards of the type used in repairing body damage on vehicles conventionally include a rigid portion having a firm elongate rectangular surface, a firm resilient pad which overlays the firm rectangular surface and provides an elongate planar abrasive support surface against which a sheet of abrasive material may be secured. The rigid portion also includes front and rear handles upstanding from the side of the file board opposite its abrasive support surface, with each of the handles adjacent a different end of the planar surface. Normally, the front handle is adapted to be received in the palm of a user's hand to afford guiding the direction of travel of the board and applying pressure between the abrasive material and a surface being abraded, whereas the rear handle is typically inclined upwardly at about a 45 degree included angle toward the front handle and is adapted to be grasped and pressed against by the palm of the other hand and to provide the major driving force for moving abrasive on the file board over the surface being abraded. Normally the file board is driven along the surface to be abraded with the front handle leading and with its longitudinal axis disposed at about a 45 degree angle with respect to its direction of travel so that the abrasive material on the file board will not form scratches corresponding to its longitudinal edges. In this manner the hand file board is typically used to shape or sand plastic filler which has been used to rebuild the contour of a damaged body member on a vehicle (such as an automobile) or to scuff and sand the surface of primers or putties applied over the shaped plastic filler material in preparation for applying the final finish to the vehicle.
While two hand usage of the hand file board is normally preferred for heavy removal of plastic filler, subsequent scuffing and sanding of the surfaces of putties or primers often can be done with one hand. Additionally, abrading surfaces of vehicle body portions adjacent the ground (such as the lower portion of doors or fenders) may be difficult or impossible to do with two hands such as when the user is bending over and must brace himself against the vehicle. When such one handed use has been desired, however, users of prior art file boards have been forced to either guide the file board by grasping only one of its handles (neither of which provides a suitable balance for use of the tool or the desired ability to accurately guide its direction of travel) or by grasping a central portion of the file board which does not provide a suitable grip.